Opal: the Wandering Heiress
by ShinySheepGhost001
Summary: Opal, the illegitimate daughter of an IceWing royal, wishes to ascend to the IceWing throne. However, before she can challenge the matriarch, she must get stronger. Opal wanders Pyrrhia to find challengers and better herself to challenge her queen. Whether she wins or not is up for debate.


**Challenge between myself and SolsticeSummerMoon06's dragon, Leaf. Part of the forum Jade Mountain Academy.**

 **Don't forget to look out for Sol's half of the battle.**

"Why, my beautiful diamond, would you like some dazzling jewels to go with your dazzling scales?" a SandWing vendor offered the pure white IceWing.

"Get impaled by a narwhal," the IceWing nonchalantly shot back, not even bothering to look at the SandWing.

 _It's so hot here and all this dirt can't be good for my scales. And these other dragons have no value of personal spa―_ "GET YOUR FILTHY TALONS AWAY FROM ME!" The IceWing kicked away a SandWing street urchin that grabbed her stringed anklet.

"Hey, he's just a dragonet!" someone called from behind.

The IceWing whirled around in a flurry of silver and white. She found herself staring at a little MudWing. "Cry me the ocean." The IceWing advanced on the MudWing. "I won't have any grubby-clawed dragonets stealing jewelry right off me, let alone have a half-baked salamander lecture me on it."

The MudWing took a step back, but flared a plume of fire.

"Oh, you want to fight? How about this: the two of us will fight and if I win, everything will be just the way it is. If you win, you get to be right and that dragonet gets this anklet he tried to steal off me."

Both the MudWing and SandWing widened their eyes at the IceWing's offer. The eyes of observing dragons turned from the IceWing to the MudWing, anticipating what she would do.

"What do you mean by 'win'?" the MudWing asked.

The shadows' eyes shifted to the IceWing.

"When either of us die or―" her voice lowered "―when one of us doesn't want to fight anymore."

The earth dragon's wings trembled a bit, but the rest of her little body remained firm.

A few heartbeats later, the MudWing nodded. "I accept."

"Very well." The two dragons began pacing in a circle, anticipating a strike. "May I know the name of my opponent?"

The MudWing nodded. "Leaf of the MudWings. And you?"

The ice dragon held her head high with pride. "Opal of the IceWings."

From reactions of the few IceWings in the shadows, Opal deduced her name had spread even here.

But that didn't matter now. What mattered was the fight at talon.

The two stalked around like great cats, eyeing each other with wariness. Leaf flicked an ear. Opal stuck out her dark blue tongue.

Opal struck first.

She lunged like a snake, hurling herself on Leaf and shoving her to the ground with a flurry of white. Leaf's head hit the ground hard, but the earth dragon kicked Opal's belly in retaliation, then snapped down where her neck met her chest. Opal roared, shooting frostbreath and accidentally hitting a dragon in the crowd.

The IceWing ran her serrated claws down Leaf's sides, making her roar and release her throat. Opal gripped the MudWing by her shoulders, rolled over so the IceWing was at the bottom, then hurled Leaf to the side, kicking her stomach for extra energy. Leaf slammed into two SandWings by a wall, nearly killing both of them.

Opal stood up, wiping away blue blood from her minor neck wound. "Is this all you have to offer, MudWing?" She spat another blot of dark blue on the sand. "I'm still itching for a fight!"

Leaf staggered up on her talons, then made sure the other two SandWings were okay. "Everyone back up a bit just in case something like this happens again," she warned, casting an olive-green glare at the IceWing.

"It won't happen again, MudWing," Opal said, rolling her eyes. "Because I don't use the same techniques twice in a fight." She made her way to Leaf, her tail spikes rattling eerily similar to a rattlesnake's.

The MudWing flared her wings out, growling lowly, but the IceWing still stood tall, her head poised like a snake anticipating its prey. Her dark steely-blue eyes reflected the sun like sheets of metal―cold, lifeless, frozen.

"At least, if I can avoid i-!"

Leaf broke off the IceWing's monologuing with a headbutt to her forehead. Opal roared in anger. Leaf pulled back, then launched out at her again, catching enough force to knock the Opal to her back. Icy wings batted away dusty wings, but the earth dragon held down her opponent. Opal thrashed around, icy particles forming around her jaws.

"SHE'S GOING TO SHOOT ICE!"

The crowd backed away from her potential line of fire, but Leaf prevented it from happening by securing the IceWing's mouth shut with her talon. Opal struggled for several long moments, thrashing and scraping Leaf with her spiky tail. The MudWing kept her pinned and unable to fight.

Eventually, Opal stopped, breathing heavy breaths.

Leaf eyed her over. "I won't kill you. You don't deserve to go down like this." The MudWing smirked. "You probably don't want to."

Opal tried to open her mouth, but Leaf held it firmly.

"Do you want to attack me?"

Opal shook her head.

"Just talk?"

She nodded.

"All right, but you know you've lost." Leaf released the IceWing's jaws.

"Get off me, you overgrown crocodile."

The MudWing shuffled off the IceWing and offered a talon to help her up.

"Don't patronize me." Opal stood up, rattling her spikes to get the sand out and cursing about needing a clean bath.

Leaf paused, then tilted her head after some time had passed. "Anklet?"

Opal glared at the MudWing with a side glance, then reached back to a hind leg and unstrung the lapis lazuli anklet. She handed it over to the MudWing, who handed it to the SandWing street rat. The dragonet gave a firm nod of thanks, then disappeared into the crowd of SandWings.

"Thank you for that...peculiar battle, MudWing," Opal said, rubbing her neck wound. "I hope we meet again." She gave a smile, hoping that it'd be enough to solidify her half-sincerity.

Leaf raised a brow. She didn't buy it.

Opal rolled her eyes and shuffled into the crowd. She muttered curses to herself. If she wanted to return to the Ice Kingdom to challenge Queen Bise, she'd have to be strong enough to beat a MudWing.

 _One day, I'll have the Ice Kingdom at my clawtips. I just need to be stronger._


End file.
